Chapter 114: Chapter 114: Runners on Wheels

​The black smoke from the remnants of the West Gate’s explosion still billowed high into the night sky, a towering pillar of grief for the capital of Vaelith. Beneath the shadows of the colossal trees that marked the boundary between Elven civilization and the untamed wild, Dayat fell to his knees. The damp earth felt cold against his palms, but his body temperature felt like molten metal freshly poured from a forge.

​”Dayat!” Lunethra cried out, reaching for his slumped shoulders. “You’ve pushed yourself too far! Enough, we can hide in the thickets, I know these paths—”

​”No…” Dayat interrupted, his voice a jagged rasp. He lifted his face, and Lunethra recoiled slightly. Fresh blood streamed from his left nostril, coating his chin and dripping onto the mossy ground. “The pace of our footsteps… will never outrun their Verdant Stags. If we are caught now, there won’t be a second chance at the light.”

​Behind them, the distant, mournful blare of trumpets echoed through the woods—the signal for general mobilization. The lights carried by the Elven pursuit teams began to appear like thousands of bloodthirsty fireflies, moving with terrifying speed from the direction of the ruined gate.

​”Dola… system synchronization,” Dayat whispered. His hands shook violently. In his mind, he visualized a structure of steel—an internal combustion engine of immense power, something capable of taming roots and mud without mercy.

​”Warning: Mana-Neural Strain level is at 88%,” Dola’s voice was flat, yet there was an urgent resonance beneath the surface. “Manifestation of a heavy-category vehicle under low stamina conditions will cause permanent damage to the subject’s neural network.”

​”Just do it! That’s an order!” Dayat roared, his voice cracking.

​He squeezed his eyes shut. The emerald streaks beneath his skin—the Mana-Circuits gifted by the Spirit of Vaelith—glowed so fiercely that the light bled through the fabric of his clothes. The air around them began to crackle with static electricity, smelling of ozone and burnt wood. Violet light particles began to thicken and solidify in the center of the forest path.

​Slowly but surely, the silhouette of an iron monster began to take shape. Massive tires with aggressive, deep treads appeared first, followed by a heavy-duty steel chassis, a wide, menacing hood, and LED headlights that pierced the darkness of the woods like the eyes of a predator. A pitch-black Ford F-150 Raptor stood gallantly in the clearing. However, this was no ordinary truck; the body was wrapped in a thin, pulsing violet mist that throbbed in rhythm with Dayat’s labored breathing.

​As the manifestation finalized, Dayat slumped forward, vomiting blood onto the forest floor. His consciousness flickered like a dying candle.

​”Big Brother!” Kancil, who had been watching with wide, ecstatic eyes, rushed to support Dayat’s weight. “Are you alright?”

​”Get in…” was all Dayat could manage before his head lolled back.

​Dola acted instantly. She grabbed Dayat with one hand, tossing him into the front passenger seat with a movement that was efficient yet carefully measured. She turned to Lunethra and Kancil, who were still frozen, staring at the vehicle as if it were a beast from an alien world.

​”Unit Kancil, Unit Lunethra, immediately occupy the rear compartment. We are in a high-lethality zone,” Dola commanded.

​Kancil was the first to scramble in. He touched the leather upholstery with trembling hands. “It’s… hard… cold… but so smooth. Is this high-tier iron magic?”

​Lunethra climbed in with hesitation, staring at the interior filled with digital indicator lights and glowing dashboards. “This… this feels wrong. These trees will be enraged if we bring something this alien into the heart of the forest.”

​Dola slid into the driver’s seat. She didn’t need to turn a key; her system interfaced directly with the manifestation engine. The V6 Twin-Turbo engine roared to life, a guttural, mechanical thunder that sent vibrations through the soil and shook the canopy above.

​”To hell with the trees’ anger, Lunethra. If we don’t move, we’ll be the ones becoming their fertilizer,” Dola replied coldly. She slammed her foot onto the accelerator, and the Raptor lunged forward, kicking up massive clumps of mud and ancient soil.

​Behind them, Captain Haelir, mounted on a massive white Verdant Stag, emerged from the fog. His eyes narrowed as he caught the red glow of the truck’s taillights.

​”By Goddess Nura… what kind of creature is that?” one of his soldiers stammered.

​”Don’t falter! It is a tool of the Maiden Demon! Archers, aim for the glowing parts! Casters, bind its legs!” Haelir screamed.

​The chase began. Thousands of Elven archers began to leap from branch to branch with unnatural agility. Light-arrows began to rain down upon the vehicle. Trak! Trak! Trak! The sound of arrows impacting the reinforced windshield and the steel body echoed inside the cabin. Fortunately, the Mana-Shield layer Dayat had infused into the manifestation was strong enough to deflect the projectiles into harmless violet sparks.

​”Dola, look out! Massive trunk ahead!” Lunethra shrieked.

​Dola spun the steering wheel with a speed impossible for a human. The truck swerved between ancient trees five meters in diameter with millimeter precision. The Raptor’s massive tires crushed protruding roots, and the heavy-duty suspension worked overtime to absorb shocks that would have snapped the neck of a normal person.

​”This is incredible!” Kancil laughed, despite the tension etched on his face. He rolled down the window, the rushing forest wind whipping against his face. “We’re way faster than those stupid deer!”

​”Do not be complacent, Child,” Dola interjected. Her eyes glowed with a steady violet light as she processed the fastest route via topographical data fed by the truck’s sensors. “Their mages are beginning to mobilize.”

​Suddenly, the ground in front of the truck buckled. Massive roots erupted from beneath the soil, weaving themselves into a thick, wooden web across the path.

​”Brace for impact!” Dola shouted. Instead of braking, she floored the gas. She activated the gravitational function on the front wheels. The truck seemed to be pulled forward by an invisible force, ramming into the root-web before it could fully harden. KRAKK! The roots shattered into splinters, and the truck continued its northward trajectory.

​Dayat drifted back into a semi-conscious state. He saw Dola, hyper-focused on the drive. He saw Kancil, gripping the door handle with eyes hungry for action. Then he looked in the rearview mirror; the Paladins of Verdia were falling behind, yet they refused to give up. They continued to fire wind-spells that tore the foliage around the truck into shreds.

​”Dola… where… are we…?” Dayat asked weakly.

​”North. Per your final instructions before your neural network experienced dysfunction,” Dola answered without looking back. “We are heading for the open plains. Within this forest, the maneuverability of this vehicle is restricted by floral density.”

​”Lunethra…” Dayat turned his head slightly, looking at the Elf whose face was pale as death. “I’m sorry… for destroying your gate.”

​Lunethra remained silent for a long time. She stared out the window, watching the forest she had loved all her life turn into a terrifying battlefield. “You didn’t destroy it. My people’s hatred did. I… I just never expected my own sister, Verene, to order a slaughter like this.”

​”This world has no mercy for the weak, Lunethra,” Kancil said suddenly. His voice sounded far more mature than his years. “Big Brother Dayat taught me that in the cell. If you want to survive, you must become the thing they fear most.”

​The dialogue was cut short as an explosion of light-magic hit the rear of the truck, sending it briefly onto two wheels before it slammed back onto the ground. Captain Haelir was persistent; he used speed-boost spells on his stag, allowing it to keep pace with the truck for a few moments.

​Haelir drew his bow, aiming directly for Dola’s head through the rear window. “Fall, Demon!”

​The arrow surged forward, wreathed in searing green flames. However, before it could shatter the glass, Dola jerked the wheel, causing the arrow to only graze the side panel, leaving a deep, smoldering gouge.

​”Unit Kancil, take the object beneath your seat,” Dola ordered.

​Kancil reached under the seat and found a long, heavy metal barrel with a scope—a high-caliber sniper rifle. “What is this?”

​”Point it at the lead pursuer. Pull the trigger when the red dot in the small glass is aligned with his head,” Dola instructed curtly.

​Kancil followed the instructions. He leaned halfway out of the window. Despite the violent jolting of the truck, the hunting instincts he had honed in the slums of Bakasa kept him steady. He aimed at Haelir.

​BANG!

​The gunshot roared through the forest, drowning out the engine. The bullet whistled through the air, but Haelir skillfully swerved his stag. The round only caught the shoulder of one of Haelir’s guards, knocking him instantly from his mount.

​”Tsk, missed by an inch!” Kancil grumbled, but his eyes glowed with a feral lust for combat.

​”Keep firing! Keep them at a distance!” Dola shouted.

​The Raptor continued to tear through the darkness of the Western Wilds. The lights behind them began to shrink, swallowed by the speed of Earth’s technology fueled by otherworldly energy. Dayat closed his eyes again, feeling the vibration of the engine beneath his feet. To him, the sound of the engine was a melody of victory—proof that even if he was betrayed by a kingdom, he still possessed the power to carve his own path.

​”Welcome to a new era, Verdia,” Dayat whispered in his heart before darkness claimed his consciousness once more.

​The truck sped northward, leaving deep tire tracks in the sacred Elven soil—a black scar signifying that their hero was dead, and what remained was a man ready to challenge the world.

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